MONTREAL, QC – The Abuse-Free Sport Registry, a key component of the enforcement of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS), is now live and available to the public.
The searchable database catalogues participants subject to the UCCMS whose eligibility to participate in sport has in some way been restricted due to provisional measures and/or sanctions imposed as part of, or as a result of, the Abuse-Free Sport complaint management process.
“The main reason behind publishing the Abuse-Free Sport Registry is to reduce risks to the safety of all members of the sport community,” shared Interim Commissioner André Lepage. “It provides another tool to the general public with regard to safeguarding against maltreatment, while also contributing to the deterrence and denunciation of maltreatment and helping prevent reoccurrence.”
“A public registry is paramount to protect participants and deliver safer experiences in sport programs at all levels and in all contexts, which is the ultimate goal of the Abuse-Free Sport program,” stated Marie-Claude Asselin, Chief Executive Officer of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada. “Its launch today is the fruit of several months of research, analysis and design to ensure compliance with applicable law, and particularly Canadian privacy laws.”
The Abuse-Free Sport Registry only contains information regarding respondents subject to eligibility restrictions and is not a comprehensive list of all individuals named in all reports received by the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, nor does it include respondents subject to other types of sanctions and provisional measures, such as education and training.
The Abuse-Free Sport Registry and governing documents are accessible at the following link: sportintegritycommissioner.ca/registry.
Definitions
A Respondent is a Participant who is alleged to have engaged in one or more of the Prohibited Behaviours described within the UCCMS.
Provisional measures are restrictions or limitations placed upon a Respondent alleged to have violated the UCCMSin order to protect sport participants from potential harm while the Abuse-Free Sport complaint process is ongoing. Provisional measure(s) are not sanctions and may take various forms. They may be issued by the Director of Sanctions and Outcomes (DSO) prior to any investigation being conducted or any decision being rendered about what occurred, and are based on unproven allegations.
Sanctions are imposed at the end of the Complaint Management Process by the DSO upon finding that a violation of the UCCMS did occur.
About Abuse-Free Sport
Abuse-Free Sport is an independent program responsible for upholding and administering the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS). Abuse-Free Sport seeks to influence a positive shift in Canada’s sport culture and to foster safe, inclusive and welcoming sport participation through a variety of prevention, response and engagement initiatives. The Office of the Sport .
Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) operates as an independent division of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) to administer the UCCMS as part of the Abuse-Free Sport program. abuse-free-sport.ca
About SDRCC
The SDRCC is a not-for-profit corporation created by federal legislation and funded by the Government of Canada. The mission of the SDRCC is to provide the sport community with a national alternative dispute resolution service and strengthen the culture of fairness in Canadian sport by resolving disputes quickly and efficiently and to provide expertise and assistance regarding alternative dispute resolution. The SDRCC is also mandated by the Government of Canada to implement an independent safe sport mechanism at the national level. crdsc-sdrcc.ca
– 30 –
For more information, please contact:
Jennifer Monk
media@abuse-free-sport.ca